Written Answers Monday 17 January 2005

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether land grazed by horses will be eligible under the single payment scheme.

Ross Finnie: Land grazed by horses will be eligible land under the Single Farm Payment Scheme and will receive a payment if such land is used to support an established entitlement. The key tests will be that land is kept in good agricultural and environmental condition and is not used for a non-agricultural purpose.

Development

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what involvement it has in projects associated with the redevelopment of Granton waterfront.

Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  The redevelopment of the Granton waterfront is being led by Waterfront Edinburgh Limited. This is a joint venture company supported by the City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian. The Scottish Executive is supporting the Granton waterfront initiative through significant investment in a number of areas that are key to the success of this major regeneration initiative. This includes: improved public transport including support to develop the tram network in the city; substantial investment in the provision of affordable housing within the waterfront area, and significant up-front funding to the joint venture company through the Scottish Executive funded enterprise agency Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian.

Employment

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are registered as economically inactive, broken down by (a) age, (b) gender, (c) local authority area and (d) reason for economic inactivity.

The Executive has supplied the following corrected answer:

Mr Jim Wallace: The number of working age people economically inactive can be estimated from the Labour Force Survey. These estimates broken down by age, gender, local authority area and reason for economic inactivity are reported in Tables 1 to 4 below.

  Table 1: Economically Inactive Working Age1 People, Scotland

  

Age
Level


16 to 19
93,000


20 to 24
72,000


25 to 34
108,000


35 to 49
175,000


50 to Retirement Age
241,000


All
688,000



  Source: Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey 2003-04.Note: 1. Working age is defined as women aged 16 to 59 and men aged 16 to 64 years inclusive.

  Table 2: Economically Inactive Working Age1 People, Scotland

  

Gender
Level


Male
286,000


Female
402,000


All
688,000



  Source: Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey 2003-04.Note: 1. Working age is defined as women aged 16 to 59 and men aged 16 to 64 years inclusive.

  Table 3: Economically Inactive Working Age1 People, Scotland

  

Local Authority Area
Economically Inactive


Scotland
688,000


Aberdeen City
27,000


Aberdeenshire
24,000


Angus
14,000


Argyll and Bute
10,000


Clackmannanshire
7,000


Dumfries and Galloway
16,000


Dundee City
21,000


East Ayrshire
17,000


East Dunbartonshire
12,000


East Lothian
12,000


East Renfrewshire
10,000


Edinburgh, City of
60,000


Eilean Siar (Western Isles)
2,000


Falkirk
19,000


Fife
44,000


Glasgow City
111,000


Highland
19,000


Inverclyde
14,000


Midlothian
10,000


Moray
9,000


North Ayrshire
22,000


North Lanarkshire
53,000


Orkney Islands
2,000


Perth and Kinross
16,000


Renfrewshire
23,000


Scottish Borders
11,000


Shetland Islands
2,000


South Ayrshire
14,000


South Lanarkshire
41,000


Stirling
11,000


West Dunbartonshire
14,000


West Lothian
21,000



  Source: Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey 2003-04.Notes: 1. Working age is defined as women aged 16 to 59 and men aged 16 to 64 years inclusive.

  Table 4: Economically Inactive Working Age1 People, Scotland

  

Reason for Inactivity
Level


Sickness or Disability
266,000


Looking after family/home 
173,000


Students
135,000


Other
114,000


All
688,000



  Source: Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey 2003-04.Notes: 1. Working age is defined as women aged 16 to 59 and men aged 16 to 64 years inclusive.

Food

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings have been held between representatives of independent grocery retail groups and ministers in the last two years; which groups were involved; when any such meetings were held; what issues were discussed, and what the outcomes were.

Ross Finnie: Ministers and officials maintain contact with the Scottish Grocers’ Federation to discuss matters of mutual interest. I shall meet the Council of the Scottish Retail Consortium in the spring.

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost per unit was of sites developed in each year since 1980 by housing associations or co-operatives, or their agents, and funded in full or in part by (a) the Housing Corporation, (b) Scottish Homes and (c) Communities Scotland.

Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  The following table gives details of the average cost per unit for all housing construction approved through Registered Social Landlords by Communities Scotland, and its predecessor organisation, in each of the last 10 years.

  Average Total Cost Per Unit of Houses Approved Through Registered Social Landlords for Funding by Communities Scotland

  

Year
 


1994-95
£51,594


1995-96
£55,864


1996-97
£56,646


1997-98
£56,874


1998-99
£59,395


1999-2000
£61,401


2000-01
£66,492


2001-02
£70,981


2002-03
£74,367


2003-04
£80,656



  Note: Data prior to 1994-95 are not available.

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost of site acquisition was per unit for sites developed in each year since 1980 by housing associations or co-operatives, or their agents, and funded in full or in part by (a) the Housing Corporation, (b) Scottish Homes and (c) Communities Scotland.

Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  The following table gives details of the average cost of site acquisition per unit for affordable housing construction approved through registered social landlords and other bodies by Communities Scotland, and its predecessor organisation, in each of the last 10 years.

  Average Cost of Site Acquisition Per Unit of Houses Approved Through Registered Social Landlords for Funding by Communities Scotland

  

Year
 


1994-95
£3,940


1995-96
£4,699


1996-97
£4,952


1997-98
£5,843


1998-99
£5,754


1999-2000
£5,688


2000-01
£5,108


2001-02
£5,562


2002-03
£5,426


2003-04
£5,894



  Note: Data prior to 1994-95 are not available.

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage site acquisition costs represented of the overall development cost of sites developed in each year since 1980 by housing associations or co-operatives, or their agents, and funded in full or in part by (a) the Housing Corporation, (b) Scottish Homes and (c) Communities Scotland.

Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  The following table gives details of the proportion site acquisition costs represented of overall development costs for all housing construction approved through registered social landlords by Communities Scotland, and its predecessor organisation, in each of the last 10 years.

  Percentage of Total Development Cost Represented by Site Acquisition Costs for Houses Approved Through Registered Social Landlords for Funding by Communities Scotland

  

Year
 


1994-95
7.6%


1995-96
8.7%


1996-97
9.0%


1997-98
10.4%


1998-99
9.8%


1999-2000
9.3%


2000-01
7.7%


2001-02
7.8%


2002-03
7.2%


2003-04
7.2%



  Note: Data prior to 1994-95 are not available.

Justice

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what legislation applies to inheritance by children when the deceased parent (a) has and (b) has not written a will and what the provisions of such legislation are in both circumstances.

Cathy Jamieson: The relevant legislation is the Succession (Scotland) Act 1964. The Executive has published a brief guide to the act called "Rights of Succession" and this is available at www.scotland.gov.uk/library/documents-w10/ros-00.htm .

  For further details see M Meston The Succession (Scotland) Act 1964 5th Edition (2002) (Bib. number 26403).

Opencast Mining

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what responses it has received to Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 16: Opencast Coal Public Consultation.

Johann Lamont: The Executive received 291 responses to the consultation paper. These are currently being considered.

Planning

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it now expects to reach a decision on the planning application by Eden Waste Recycling Ltd for a landfill site at Greengairs in Lanarkshire.

Johann Lamont: The final decision is dependent on the satisfactory conclusion of a legal agreement between the applicant and North Lanarkshire Council. I understand the council hopes to conclude this agreement by early February. On receipt of the agreement Scottish ministers will make every effort to issue an early decision.

Public Participation

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what public consultation will take place before the implementation in Scotland of the provisions of the Aarhus Convention and when any such consultation will start.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive will be consulting on the public participation aspects of the Aarhus Convention commencing in February 2005.

Public Participation

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the provisions of the Aarhus Convention will be implemented in Scotland on 25 June 2005, as indicated in EU Directive 2003/35/EC.

Ross Finnie: Yes. Work is underway to met the transposition date for Directive 2003/35/EC.

Sport

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-11897 by Patricia Ferguson on 18 November 2004, which football clubs have benefited from, and what funding has been allocated under, the Building for Sport programme since inception.

Patricia Ferguson: Since the establishment of the Building for Sport programme on 1 May 2004, only Kyleakin Football Club has received an award (£46,186) for a new playing field. Over the years 2003–07 of  sportscotland’s Lottery Distribution Strategy, details of which can be obtained from the  sportscotland website at www.sportscotland.org.uk , £18 million has been allocated to the Building for Sport programme.

Student Finance

Mike Pringle (Edinburgh South) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on meeting the Partnership Agreement commitment to review student bursaries.

Mr Jim Wallace: I am delighted to announce today that in 2005-06 the maximum support provided through the Young Students’ Bursary will increase by 11% to £2,395. We have also reviewed the parental income thresholds which determine eligibility to receive the bursary. From 2005-06 these will also increase so that maximum bursary support will be provided to students whose parents earn up to £17,500 (the equivalent figure for 2004-05 is £10,740) and students will qualify for some bursary support up to parental income of £31,000 (the equivalent figure for 2004-05 is £28,000).

  These changes mean that eligible young Scottish students studying full-time higher education courses in Scotland will be able to receive up to half of their living cost support in the form of a non-repayable grant. This will substantially reduce the level of student debt they would otherwise accrue during their studies. Approximately 3,000 additional students will now be able to receive the bursary each year and, more significantly, approximately 20,000 students will receive the maximum bursary (an increase of 63% on the current figure).

  I am also able to announce today that the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) will be extended to Scottish postgraduate students who fund their own tuition and living costs. From 2005-06, postgraduate students who are not supported under the Postgraduate Student Allowances Scheme or receiving an award from a Research council or the Scottish Social Services Council, will be able to apply for DSA at the same levels as undergraduate students. Support will be paid on a pro-rata basis for part-time students.

Supporting People

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what budget allocations it has made to the Supporting People initiative in each of the next three years, showing percentage year-on-year increases and broken down by (a) recipient organisation and (b) local authority area.

Malcolm Chisholm: Funding for Supporting People of £407.3 million in 2005-06 £399 million in 2006-07 and £401.1 million in 2007-08 was announced on 23 December. This represents double the provision in England on a per capita basis.

  The allocation of resources (see the following tables) is on a formula basis to local authorities who decide how funding will be distributed locally. Local authorities are required to provide quarterly monitoring returns and final outturn figures to the Scottish Executive, but are not required to list all organisations receiving funding.

  Supporting People Allocations (in £ Million) Announced on 23 December with Year-On-Year Percentage Changes

  

 
2004-05
(£ Million)
2005-06
(£ Million)
% Change on Prior Year
2006-07
(£ Million)
% Change on Prior Year
2007-08
(£ Million)
% Change on Prior Year


Aberdeen City
12.3
12.3
-0.0
11.9
-3.5
11.9
0.0


Aberdeenshire
9.4
9.4
0.0
9.4
0.7
9.7
2.8


Angus
6.4
6.4
-0.0
6.5
0.9
6.7
3.5


Argyll and Bute
14.9
13.8
-7.5
13.3
-3.8
12.2
-7.8


Clackmannanshire
3.1
3.1
-0.0
3.2
4.8
3.9
18.8


Dumfries and Galloway
15.1
13.9
-7.5
13.4
-3.8
12.4
-7.8


Dundee City
11.7
11.7
0.0
11.7
0.7
12.1
2.6


East Ayrshire
6.2
6.2
-0.0
6.5
4.5
7.6
17.7


East Dunbartonshire
5.5
5.4
-1.6
5.2
-3.7
5.2
0.0


East Lothian
9.4
8.7
-7.5
8.3
-3.8
7.7
-7.8


East Renfrewshire
6.3
5.8
-7.5
5.6
-3.8
5.1
-7.8


Edinburgh, City of
44.7
41.3
-7.5
39.8
-3.8
36.7
-7.8


Eilean Siar
0.4
0.4
0.1
0.5
27.2
0.9
87.4


Falkirk
8.3
8.3
-0.0
8.4
2.0
9.1
7.9


Fife
28.3
26.2
-7.5
24.5
-6.5
24.5
0.0


Glasgow City
71.8
71.8
-0.0
73.2
1.9
78.9
7.8


Highland
13.9
12.8
-7.5
11.7
-8.7
11.7
0.0


Inverclyde
8.1
8.0
-1.8
7.7
-3.7
7.7
0.0


Midlothian
6.1
5.6
-7.5
5.4
-3.8
5.0
-7.8


Moray
6.9
6.4
-7.5
6.2
-3.8
5.7
-7.8


North Ayrshire
14.7
13.6
-7.5
12.2
-10.0
12.1
-1.4


North Lanarkshire
24.8
24.8
-0.0
25.0
0.8
25.9
3.3


Orkney Islands
0.4
0.4
-0.0
0.4
18.2
0.7
63.3


Perth and Kinross
6.2
6.2
0.0
6.4
2.7
7.1
10.8


Renfrewshire
18.3
17.0
-7.5
16.3
-3.8
15.0
-7.8


Scottish Borders
6.0
6.0
-0.0
5.8
-3.5
5.8
0.0


Shetland Islands
0.8
0.8
-0.1
0.8
3.4
0.9
13.6


South Ayrshire
8.2
8.2
0.0
8.0
-2.4
8.0
0.0


South Lanarkshire
23.4
23.2
-1.0
22.3
-3.7
22.3
0.0


Stirling
3.8
3.8
0.0
4.0
4.4
4.6
17.2


West Dunbartonshire
17.5
16.2
-7.5
15.6
-3.8
14.4
-7.8


West Lothian
9.8
9.8
-0.0
9.8
0.2
9.9
0.9


Scotland
422.5
407.3
-3.6
399.0
-2.0
401.1
0.5

Supporting People

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what reduction or increase in Supporting People funding will be received by each local authority in 2005-06.

Malcolm Chisholm: I announced revised final allocations on 23 December and these are listed below and compared to the 2004-05 allocations.

  

Council
2004-05Allocations
(£)


2005-06Allocations
(£)


Annex AIncrease/Reduction
(£)



Aberdeen City
12,306,385
12,306,000
-385


Aberdeenshire
9,374,919
9,375,000
81


Angus
6,404,033
6,404,000
-33


Argyll and Bute
14,900,000
13,782,000
-1,118,000


Clackmannanshire
3,093,495
3,093,000
-495


Dumfries and Galloway
15,078,644
13,948,000
-1,130,644


Dundee City
11,672,479
11,672,000
-479


East Ayrshire
6,184,168
6,184,000
-168


East Dunbartonshire
5,527,821
5,438,000
-89,821


East Lothian
9,365,816
8,663,000
-702,816


East Renfrewshire
6,258,179
5,789,000
-469,179


Edinburgh, City of
44,694,924
41,343,000
-3,351,924


Eilean Siar
356,813
357,000
187


Falkirk
8,275,041
8,275,000
-41


Fife
28,331,955
26,207,000
-2,124,955


Glasgow City
71,765,591
71,765,000
-591


Highland
13,891,248
12,849,000
-1,042,248


Inverclyde
8,122,573
7,979,000
-143,573


Midlothian
6,071,375
5,616,000
-455,375


Moray
6,920,485
6,401,000
-519,485


North Ayrshire
14,705,131
13,602,000
-1,103,131


North Lanarkshire
24,845,631
24,845,000
-631


Orkney Islands
357,044
357,000
-44


Perth and Kinross
6,225,994
6,226,000
6


Renfrewshire
18,346,929
16,971,000
-1,375,929


Scottish Borders
5,956,313
5,956,000
-313


Shetland Islands
788,469
788,000
-469


South Ayrshire
8,171,861
8,172,000
139


South Lanarkshire
23,420,551
23,189,000
-231,551


Stirling
3,799,843
3,800,000
157


West Dunbartonshire
17,500,000
16,187,000
-1,313,000


West Lothian
9,761,338
9,761,000
-338


Totals
422,475,048
406,000,000
-16,475,048

Vaccines

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children were immunised as part of the Angus community child health immunisation programme in the academic year 2003-04.

Mr Andy Kerr: The number of children immunised as part of the Angus community child health immunisation programme can be found in the table in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 34639).

Vaccines

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children were not immunised as part of the Angus community child health immunisation programme in the academic year 2003-04.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information requested can be found in the table in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 34913).

Waste Management

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made towards meeting each waste indicator target.

Ross Finnie: There are three sustainable development indicators relating to waste: the amount of municipal waste arisings, the recycling rate for household waste and the amount of biodegradable municipal waste landfilled.

  The Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s (SEPA) Local Authority Waste Arisings Survey for 2003-04 is currently being published. Results are available on the SEPA website at:

  http://www.sepa.org.uk/nws/data/local.htm.

  So far as municipal waste arisings are concerned, the SEPA data shows that around 3.32 million tonnes of municipal waste was produced in 2003-04. This is slightly less than the 3.35 million tonnes produced in 2002-03.

  In relation to the recycling rate for household waste, the SEPA figures for 2003-04 indicate that 12.8% of household waste was recycled. Comparable figures from SEPA are not available for 2002-03 but figures from Audit Scotland showed that 10.1% of household waste was recycled in 2002-03

  In relation to the amount of biodegradable municipal waste landfilled, SEPA figures indicate that around 1.8 million tonnes of biodegradable municipal waste was landfilled in 2003-04, similar to that landfilled in the previous two years.

  SEPA are currently working with local authorities to produce quarterly returns on municipal waste. These will be published once the data has been validated.

Waste Management

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Sustainable Scotland plans to give further consideration to "a zero based approach and supporting more locally based solutions" with regard to waste indicators, as noted in the report of its meeting on 5 October 2004.

Ross Finnie: The Cabinet Sub-Committee on Sustainable Scotland will continue to regularly review progress with regard to waste indicators and intends to discuss the issues of zero waste and local solutions at a future meeting.